1988

CARECEN wins a significant victory in the class action suit Orantes-Hernandez y Meese, on behalf of all Salvadorans detained by the INS. The court issues a nationwide permanent injunction to protect the due process rights of Salvadorans while in detention and the right to seek legal counsel and apply for asylum.

CARECEN maintains more than 500 open asylum cases and, contrary to the norm of a 97% denial of asylum for Salvadorans, CARECEN prevails in nearly 70% of all cases adjudicated, a remarkable achievement.

CARECEN and CRECEN begin supporting the rights of street vendors and day laborers, two groups of workers that had recently sprung up in large number in L.A. CARECEN and CRECEN assist street vendors to form the Street Vendor Association.